Anyone Ever Disassemble a Curtiss F3?

G

Got The Edge

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Jul 21, 2016
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I have searched for pictures of a Curtiss F3 dissassembled. I know Dave does not want his knives taken apart and most that are end up being sent back to him to put back together. I am still curious. Anyway has anyone ever done this and documented it with pics?
 
I've done several... it's easy. Unscrew all the screws and it comes apart =) Just be careful as it's got the ikbs if I'm not mistaken. They won't normally go everywhere if you just open slowly they will stay put. Don't have any pics, sorry.
 
razor-edge-knives said:
I've done several... it's easy. Unscrew all the screws and it comes apart =) Just be careful as it's got the ikbs if I'm not mistaken. They won't normally go everywhere if you just open slowly they will stay put. Don't have any pics, sorry.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing the pivot has to be unscrewed as well?
 
I also have no pictures but have taken apart both the New models and old models. The new models are pretty simple, caged bearings are extremely easy to clean and lubricate. The older ones with the individual bearings are tricky.

For the old ones I take apart the knife in a bowl of some kind, then lay a paper towel in it so they don't bounce around. Once apart I just use a lysol wipe and clean all the bearings, blade, handles etc.

Putting them back together I use a toothpick and CRK grease. If you put a layer of grease around the edge of the pivot it will hold the bearings in place. Dip the toothpick in grease to pick up and hold the bearings and just set them along the edge of the pivot.

Once the bearings are in the grease they will be for the most part stuck there. Put the knife back together and make sure to use BLUE loctite on the pivot screw. I'll post a link to a video I found on YouTube where a guy takes apart a knife with the same pivot as an F3. Hope this helps.
 
Hi...i have an F3...have the Curtiss tool...only one...LOL!....I am guessing that the new F3 have a captured pivot and caged bearings. Can you tell me which side of the pivot to unscrew?
The front or the clip side. I know some knives are different depending on which side is captured. If the pivot is not captured...then I will buy another tool! LOL!
 
Infared Infared

Good question, I just purchased a Large F3 that will arrive Monday and would like to know if the pivot is captured on one side. Here is a pic of my knife scales. Looks like the pivot can be installed captured on either side “if” it has a captured pivot.

tGrhRk8.jpg


If I get mine apart I will let you know
 
Infared Infared

I found a take down of a Curtiss Nano.


Guy says in Vid he feels other side spinning and has to lock it down with his finger.

Start the Vid at 4:25
 
Infared said:
I have the same scales...but plain/tumbled. The cut-outs save so much weight!l!!
Click to expand...

I know, looks cool and saves on weight!. Can’t wait to get mine this coming Monday! Think I might have me a compact made too, lol.
 
Funny thing I noticed in the Vid is that the female side of the pivot has a counter-bore and the stop-pin for the blade has a longer side. The longer side was installed toward female side of pivot. Not sure if that was supposed to capture the pivot to stop it from spinning or not. Guess I will find out Monday.

But looks like you unscrew from the show side of the scale.
 
Hey...just saw your observations above. GOOD EYE! I did not notice that hole in the clip-side pivot until you mentioned it... There is no bore out in the front cap if you notice right at the end of the video he turns that over. YES! That is pretty "trick" set-up! Have never seen that before. The stop pin would have to be in that hole for the pivot to tighten down on the bearings....He did mention that it was spinning on the clip side when he started unscrewing it....but he must have just felt it move a slight bit like they sometimes do when he started to unscrew the front-side pivot...cause from what I am seeing there is no way that the pivot could have been turning if that pin was in the bore. I should be good with my one $50 (arrrrgggghhhhh! LOL!) pivot tool and some saran wrap from the front side of the knife. I just got it back from Dave...I bought the knife from Knife Joy and it had blue anoed pivots and screws...but I sent it to him to have the clip and the backspacer anoed, too. I bought a tool from him at that time...He did not say I needed another one and I did not ask as I assumed that the pivot was captured. Knife looks and works well....so I am not going to take it apart anytime soon...but I am thinking of putting a nice 17º edge on it :-) ... Thanks again for the help....I could have had a REAL frustrating experience trying to unscrew that pivot from the clip side!!!!!
 
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